Exodus 6

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. You will see this, for he will let them go because of my strong hand. Because of my strong hand, he will drive them out of his land.”

And the Lord said to Moses, Now you will see what I am about to do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand he will be forced to let them go, driving them out of his land because of my outstretched arm.

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am Yahweh.

And God said to Moses, I am Yahweh:

3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty; but by my name, Yahweh, I was not known to them.

I let myself be seen by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God, the Ruler of all; but they had no knowledge of my name Yahweh.

4 I also established my covenant with them, in order to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as non-citizens, the land in which they wandered about.

And I made an agreement with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their wanderings.

5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have called to mind my covenant.

And truly my ears are open to the cry of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep under their yoke; and I have kept in mind my agreement.

6 Therefore, say to the Israelites, 'I am Yahweh. I will bring you out from slavery under the Egyptians, and I will free you from their power. I will rescue you with a display of my power, and with mighty acts of judgment.

Say then to the children of Israel, I am Yahweh, and I will take you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians, and make you safe from their power, and will make you free by the strength of my arm after great punishments.

7 I will take you to myself as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from slavery under the Egyptians.

And I will take you to be my people and I will be your God; and you will be certain that I am the Lord your God, who takes you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh.'”

And I will be your guide into the land which I made an oath to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for your heritage: I am Yahweh.

9 When Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to him because of their discouragement about their harsh slavery.

And Moses said these words to the children of Israel, but they gave no attention to him, because of the grief of their spirit and the cruel weight of their work.

10 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

11 “Go tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the people of Israel go from his land.”

Go in and say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that he is to let the children of Israel go out of his land.

12 Moses said to Yahweh, “If the Israelites have not listened to me, why will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am not good at speaking?”

And Moses, answering the Lord, said, See, the children of Israel will not give ear to me; how then will Pharaoh give ear to me, whose lips are unclean?

13 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He gave them a command for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

And the word of the Lord came to Moses and Aaron, with orders for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

14 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi. These were the clan ancestors of Reuben.

These are the heads of their fathers' families: the sons of Reuben the oldest son of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi: these are the families of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul—the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clan ancestors of Simeon.

And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul, the son of a woman of Canaan: these are the families of Simeon.

16 Here are listed the names of the sons of Levi, together with their descendants. They were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived until he was 137 years old.

And these are the names of the sons of Levi in the order of their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari: and the years of Levi's life were a hundred and thirty-seven.

17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei.

The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, in the order of their families.

18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived until he was 133 years old.

And the sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel: and the years of Kohath's life were a hundred and thirty-three.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These became the clan ancestors of the Levites, together with their descendants.

And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi: these are the families of the Levites, in the order of their generations.

20 Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister. She bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years and then died.

And Amram took Jochebed, his father's sister, as wife; and she gave birth to Aaron and Moses: and the years of Amram's life were a hundred and thirty-seven.

21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

And the sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

And Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon; and she gave birth to Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the clan ancestors of the Korahites.

And the sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korahites.

25 Eleazar, Aaron's son, married one of the daughters of Putiel. She bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the fathers' houses among the Levites, together with their descendants.

And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel; and she gave birth to Phinehas. These are the heads of the families of the Levites, in the order of their families.

26 These two men were the Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, “Bring out the Israelites from the land of Egypt, by their groups of fighting men.”

These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, Take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt in their armies.

27 Aaron and Moses spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to allow them bring out the Israelites from Egypt. These were the same Moses and Aaron.

These are the men who gave orders to Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go out of Egypt: these are the same Moses and Aaron.

28 When Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

And on the day when the word of the Lord came to Moses in the land of Egypt,

29 he said to him, “I am Yahweh. Say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything that I will tell you.”

The Lord said to Moses, I am the Lord: say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything I am saying to you.

30 But Moses said to Yahweh, “I am not good at speaking, so why will Pharaoh listen to me?”

And Moses said to the Lord, My lips are unclean; how is it possible that Pharaoh will give me a hearing?